28.01.2014

New WINTERSTEIGER product at ISPO: Omega - distinguished by flexibility

WINTERSTEIGER, a company that builds special machines in Ried im Innkreis, will once again be presenting a number of new products at ISPO 2014, which is the world's largest sport product trade show and takes place in Munich. The new Omega stone and belt grinding machine means the idea of complete flexibility for every customer can now be extended to include manual ski servicing as well, while the company's latest products, the HOTRONIC heating and drying systems for shoes, boots and gloves, will also be exhibited as the BootDoc (BD) concept "Customisation for feet" (C4F), which revolves around individualized ski boot fitting.

Following the launch of the Discovery, a ski service machine with a modular design, last year, WINTERSTEIGER has chosen to continue down the modular route and extend it to manual ski service machines too. The Omega series of stone and belt grinding machines offers customers the opportunity to upgrade machines with equipment packages. Wolfgang Berghammer, head of WINTERSTEIGER's Sports business unit, justified this decision by saying: "Our many years of experience indicate that the needs of our customers vary widely when it comes to manual grinding machines in particular. These differences have presented us with a challenge that we're happy to take on, and the Omega is the beginning of individualization in manual ski servicing."

The Omega equipment packages, which customers can opt for depending on their specific requirements, include a structure package, a feed package, and a spray and filter package. The "racing plus package" for professional racing grinding includes all of these packages.

WINTERSTEIGER's machines cover all levels and range from an entry-level belt grinding machine to a basic stone grinding machine, the stone and belt grinding combi machine, to models for racing grinding. Tried and tested components from the automatic machine line have been built in and features of the WINTERSTEIGER race grinding machine, the Race NC, have also been incorporated.

New: "HOTRONIC heated" feet.

Following the acquisition of HOTRONIC, a company with international operations, in October 2013, heatable insoles and shoe and glove dryers for consumers have now been added to WINTERSTEIGER's product range.

HOTRONIC has been integrated into the BootDoc (BD) business area, in which WINTERSTEIGER produces and sells tailored soles, analysis systems, foam-lined ski boot interiors and compression socks. HOTRONIC's feet heating systems are used primarily for winter sports and are an ideal addition to the BD product line. Merging the two to create one product sums up the objective behind the move, and customers can now purchase anatomically shaped BD insoles with a HOTRONIC heating element included. These pre-molded inserts use a sophisticated multilayer made from high-quality adaptable materials to guarantee the consumer full-contact foot support and comfort.

The need for "warm feet" is huge. HOTRONIC International has been successfully represented in this market for 20 years now, and is the unrivalled number 1 in the USA. Its products are now sold by WINTERSTEIGER's sales organizations and retail partners in different countries all over the world.

C4F: four approaches to ski boot fitting.

Andreas Zauner, BD's international sales manager said: "Many skiers suffer from their ski boots not sitting properly, which lowers their enjoyment levels when skiing. This doesn't have to be the case." It's for this reason that the BD team used many years of customer experience to develop the C4F concept "Customisation for feet". The concept is based on four methods for optimizing fit and involves the following products:

a BD ski boot shell with a shaft of 100 mm

the BD Quick Foam liner

BD FF S9 insoles which are thermally fitted to the individual foot

fit enhancing compression socks

The first few uses show that, combined with correct measurement, using the foam liners enables smaller ski boots and therefore ski boots that fit better anatomically to be selected. They fit like a glove. The benefits are an improved transfer of energy with tiredness taking longer to develop, and more stability when skiing with no decrease in comfort.

WINTERSTEIGER's product range includes ski service machines, stone and belt grinding machines, binding adjustment, waxing and base repair devices, storage, depot, and drying systems, and rental software and shop equipment. With insoles and compression socks being distributed under the BootDoc brand in addition and the HOTRONIC heating systems for shoes, gloves and feet being sold as well now, customers can get everything they need from the same place.